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marked by a number of serious and devastat- ing floods. In the past century, five major floods have plagued the Town - 1894, 1913, 1955, 1965, and 1969. The '69 flood occurred within the living memory of many local resi- dents and thus, provides a good account of what can happen to the community during a flood event. Historical analysis is a very important ele- ment ofthis Flood Hazard Mitigation Plan, as it provides a useful perspective from which to evaluate the flood hazard in Jamestown and its potential future impact upon the commu- nity. It is not intended to be interpreted as an estimate of exactly what will occur in the future. Every flood event is unique. The fac- tors which come together to create one flood may never come together again in precisely the same way. Therefore, it is critical that the community be prepared for any combination of factors that might lead to a flood event in the future. 1894 and 1913 Floods On June I, 1894, a flood roared down the James creek and completely washed out the town of Jamestown. Most of the houses on the north side of town were washed away or ru- ined by the floodwaters as they crested their banks. The blacksmith shop, the community church, and the general stores were totally destroyed. The town was isolated for days and it took weeks to repair the road to Boulder so supplies could be brought in by wagon. The 1894 flood event was preceded by a series of weather conditions recognized as funda- mental to producing flood conditions along the Front Range. For days, a heavy, constant spring rain was stalled against the mountains at fairly low elevation by upslope conditions. The steady rain contributed to streamflows already swollen by the snowmelt, and the shallow soils were totally saturated. From this reconstruction of historical events, the 1894 flood can be characterized as a Genera) Rain Flood. In August, 1913, a very similar type of flood occurred in Jamestown. Floodwaters dam- aged or destroyed most of the houses along the James Creek. All footbridges and wagon bridges were destroyed and the road was out for two weeks. 1955 and 1965 Floods In august of 1955, a brief cloudburst occurred in the upper reaches of the watersheds feed- ing the James Creek and the Little James Creek. Although the rainfall only lasted ap- proximately 30 minutes, the resulting flash flood damaged four bridge and culvert cross- ings in town. None of the townspeople were injured, but several inches of mud were de- posited in local residences. A similar flash flood occurred in Jamestown in 1965 and only moderate damage was reported. These two events were highly characteristic of Flash Floods and are very common in the steep mountain canyons of Colorado. The floods in Jamestown were preceded by brief, Figure . 8 - Jamestown 1969 (before the '69 Flood) 7